Oregon Thornless Blackberry Bush

This thorn-free Blackberry makes a great addition to any fruit patch. Blackberry Oregon Thornless produces good flavoured fruits on long thorn-free canes that are ready to crop in late August. It can be grown against a trellis or other support system and its thorn-free canes make it a friendly alternative to some of the thorny varieties. This summer flowering fruit has pale yellow autumn leaf colour and deeply divided foliage making it aesthetically pleasing too. Blackberry Oregon Thornless will grow in most positions, including those with poor drainage and partial shade.

Use: Dual purpose, Cooking & Eating

Cropping period: Mid/late season

Pollination: Self fertile

Planting advice Oregon Thornless Blackberry Bush

Planting density

Blackberry bushes can be planted close together to create a ‘hedge’ of blackberries or as individual bushes at approx. 1m apart.

Preparing the site

When planting blackberry bushes, such as Oregon Thornless, it is important to prepare the planting area well. Pot grown blackberry bushes can be planted at any time of the year. Bare root blackberry bushes need to be planted between November and March. If you are not planting your bare root blackberry bush straight away, it is best to ‘heel in’ your plants. Dig a hole in an unused area of soil and pop the roots of the tree in, gently firming around. If you’re planting within a couple of days, you can untie the bag around the roots, water, re-tie and then store in a frost free garage or shed.

Whether planting a pot grown or bare root blackberry plant it is important to prepare your planting site well. Start by removing all weeds and grass within a metre of your desired planting hole. Then dig a hole slightly deeper than your root mass and approximately 2x as wide. We recommend digging a square hole as this encourages the roots to grow straight as opposed to around inside the hole. To help your plant establish more effectively, we advise applying root grow (sprinkle in the hole for pot grown bushes or prepare and apply the gel mixture for bare root trees), especially if you have poor soil. Gently loosen the roots and place into the planting hole.

Using 50% of the original soil and 50% compost (avoid multi-purpose), fill in the hole and firm around gently. Make sure not to bank the soil up around the collar of the plant as this can cause problems.

Unlike other fruit plants, blackberry bushes are best trained using a post and wire system. Using two stakes at either end, secure several rows of horizontal wire approximately 30cm apart starting with the lowest wire 90cm from the ground. Ensure your wires are taught and train the stems of your blackberry bush horizontally so they create a fan shape along the wires.

Watering

If you’re planting in dry weather, water well and regularly for the first few months. The same goes for spring and summer planting. Make sure to keep an eye on your young fruit bushes and increase watering if there are extended periods of hot or dry weather. If you’re planting in autumn, you may only need to water your tree a little. To check if the soil requires further water, dig a finger down into the soil, a few centimetres and if the soil feels even slightly moist, it does not need further watering. If it feels dry, water and repeat this test again. Once you see your fruits begin to swell, water again. We also stock a range of irrigation kits, suitable for a variety of planting schemes.

Once planted, it is important to keep the area free of competing weeds and grass for the first couple of growing seasons. Using a glyphosate based weed killer or installing mulch matting and bark chips will aid in this. Do not simply mow the grass around the area as this will only encourage it to grow more vigorously.

Pruning advice for Oregon Thornless Blackberry Bush

In autumn, cut back the stems which have produced fruit to just above ground level. Then in spring and summer secure new stems onto the wires. Tidy up any dead shoots in February.

Delivery Timescales

Most deliveries are made within a week of placing the order. All trees are carefully packed by our experienced team, with many despatched to our tried and tested couriers within 24 hours (please allow up to 10 days). There's no need to be in to receive your trees and you can request where they are left via the checkout.

There is a slightly longer timescale on pleached and mature trees (trees over 2.5m in height) because we group orders together by geographic area for specialist delivery - we will contact these customers to notify them of the delivery date and whether the delivery driver needs assistance.

Gift trees and those required by a specific date can be accommodated with pleasure, although we accept no legal responsibility for late deliveries.

Our nursery is a busy despatch centre, so please make an appointment to collect or view trees. For collections, despatch charges will be refunded.

Mature, pleached or 5+ large trees: Cost is calculated in the checkout process and varies by postcode. You can buy additional trees with no increase in delivery cost.

The above prices exclude the Scottish Highlands, where delivery starts from £24.95 + vat and is calculated in the checkout process.

Northern Ireland, Channel Islands and Non Mainland UK

Our courier charges are not viable for just one or two trees, but if you have a larger requirement then please do speak to us to see if we can find a solution.

The product table gives the sizes and forms offered for this variety, along with photos you can enlarge (these are only a guideline as all plants are unique so vary slightly). Below are definitions of various forms, which refer to the shape of the tree defined by the pruning it has received. For more information, please contact us.

Single Stem / Pruned and shaped: Classic shaped tree with a single stem that has had pruning to help create a beautiful, natural shape.

Top grafted: A height noted next to this form refers to the length of clear stem, which will not grow taller. Only the head of branches will develop. Top grafted trees do not require complicated pruning and are ideal for small spaces.

Multi Stem: A multi stem tree is has two or more stems arising from or near ground level, growing from one root system. Take care to buy a true multi-stem like all ours and not those that are 3 saplings in a pot to cheaply imitate them.

Feathered: A feathered tree has branches from the bottom of the trunk all the way up. These branches can be removed if a clear stem is required.

Bush: A plant with many stems low down, rather than one clear stem.

Climber: A plant that is a natural climber and will be delivered usually running up a bamboo cane, ready to position in the garden.

Standard Tree: A more mature tree with an upright clear stem of approximately 1.8m-2.0m (measured from the soil to the lowest branch), which supports a branched crown. Standards are available in different forms relating to their girth size (circumference of the stem measured 1m above soil level), not height.